The United States competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 400 competitors, 316 men and 84 women, took part in 185 events in 21 sports.
The United States finished in second position in the final medal rankings, with 33 gold and 94 total medals.
Doreen Wilber — Archery, Women's Individual CompetitionJohn Williams — Archery, Men's Individual CompetitionVincent Matthews — Athletics, Men's 400 metresDave Wottle — Athletics, Men's 800 metresFrank Shorter — Athletics, Men's MarathonRod Milburn — Athletics, Men's 110 m HurdlesLarry Black, Eddie Hart, Robert Taylor, and Gerald Tinker — Athletics, Men's 4 × 100 m RelayRandy Williams — Athletics, Men's Long JumpRay Seales — Boxing, Men's Light WelterweightMaxine Joyce King — Diving, Women's 3 m SpringboardJohn Writer — Shooting, Men's Small-bore Rifle, Three PositionsLones Wigger — Shooting, Men's Free Rifle, Three PositionsMark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 100 m FreestyleMark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 200 m FreestyleMark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 100 m ButterflyMark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 200 m ButterflyMike Burton — Swimming, Men's 1500 m FreestyleJohn Hencken — Swimming, Men's 200 m BreaststrokeDavid Edgar, Jerry Heidenreich, John Murphy, and Mark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle RelaySteve Genter, John Kinsella, Fred Tyler, and Mark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle RelayTom Bruce, Jerry Heidenreich, Mike Stamm, and Mark Spitz — Swimming, Men's 4 × 100 m Medley RelaySandy Neilson — Swimming, Women's 100 m FreestyleKeena Rothhammer — Swimming, Women's 800 m FreestyleMelissa Belote — Swimming, Women's 100 m BackstrokeMelissa Belote — Swimming, Women's 200 m BackstrokeCathy Carr — Swimming, Women's 100 m BreaststrokeKaren Moe — Swimming, Women's 200 m ButterflyShirley Babashoff, Jane Barkman, Jenny Kemp, and Sandy Neilson — Swimming, Women's 4 × 100 m Freestyle RelayMelissa Belote, Cathy Carr, Deena Deardurff, and Sandy Neilson — Swimming, Women's 4 × 100 m Medley RelayDan Gable — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle LightweightWayne Wells — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle WelterweightBen Peterson — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Light HeavyweightWilliam Allen, William Bentsen, and Harry Melges — Sailing, Men's Soling Team CompetitionRobert Taylor — Athletics, Men's 100 metresWayne Collett — Athletics, Men's 400 metersRalph Mann — Athletics, Men's 400 m HurdlesBob Seagren — Athletics, Men's Pole VaultGeorge Woods — Athletics, Men's Shot PutJay Silvester — Athletics, Men's Discus ThrowMable Fergerson, Kathy Hammond, Madeline Manning-Jackson, and Cheryl Toussaint — Athletics, Women's 4 × 400 m RelayMichael Bantom, James Brewer, Tommy Burleson, Doug Collins, Kenneth Davis, James Forbes, Thomas Henderson, Dwight Jones, Robert Jones, Kevin Joyce, Tom McMillen, and Edward Ratleff — Basketball, Men's Team CompetitionRichard Rydze — Diving, Men's 10 m PlatformBruce Davidson, Kevin Freeman, Michael Plumb, and James Wofford — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team CompetitionFrank Chapot, Kathryn Kusner, Neal Shapiro, and William Steinkraus — Equestrian, Jumping Team CompetitionGene Clapp, Fritz Hobbs, Bill Hobbs, Paul Hoffman, John Livingston, Michael Livingston, Tim Mickelson, Pete Raymond and Lawrence Terry — Rowing, Men's EightsVictor Auer — Shooting, Men's Small-bore Rifle, proneLanny Bassham — Shooting, Men's Small-bore Rifle, Three PositionsJerry Heidenreich — Swimming, Men's 100 m FreestyleSteve Genter — Swimming, Men's 200 m FreestyleSteve Genter — Swimming, Men's 400 m FreestyleMike Stamm — Swimming, Men's 100 m BackstrokeMike Stamm — Swimming, Men's 200 m BackstrokeTom Bruce — Swimming, Men's 100 m BreaststrokeGary Hall, Sr. — Swimming, Men's 200 m ButterflyTim McKee — Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual MedleyTim McKee — Swimming, Men's 400 m Individual MedleyShirley Babashoff — Swimming, Women's 100 m FreestyleShirley Babashoff — Swimming, Women's 200 m FreestyleSusie Atwood — Swimming, Women's 200 m BackstrokeDana Schoenfield — Swimming, Women's 200 m BreaststrokeLynn Colella — Swimming, Women's 200 m ButterflyRichard Sanders — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle BantamweightJohn Peterson — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle MiddleweightCraig Lincoln — Diving, Men's 3 m SpringboardThomas Hill — Athletics, Men's 110 m HurdlesLarry Young — Athletics, Men's 50 km WalkDwight Stones — Athletics, Men's High JumpJan Johnson — Athletics, Men's Pole VaultArnie Robinson — Athletics, Men's Long JumpBill Schmidt — Athletics, Men's Javelin ThrowKathy Hammond — Athletics, Women's 400 metresKathy Schmidt — Athletics, Women's Javelin ThrowRicardo Carreras — Boxing, Men's BantamweightJesse Valdez — Boxing, Men's WelterweightMarvin Johnson — Boxing, Men's MiddleweightJames McEwan — Canoeing, Men's C1 Canadian Slalom SinglesNeal Shapiro — Equestrian, Jumping Individual CompetitionTom McBreen — Swimming, Men's 400 m FreestyleDoug Northway — Swimming, Men's 1500 m FreestyleJohn Murphy — Swimming, Men's 100 m BackstrokeMitch Ivey — Swimming, Men's 200 m BackstrokeJohn Hencken — Swimming, Men's 100 m BreaststrokeJerry Heidenreich — Swimming, Men's 100 m ButterflyRobin Backhaus — Swimming, Men's 200 m ButterflySteve Furniss — Swimming, Men's 200 m Individual MedleyKeena Rothhammer — Swimming, Women's 200 m FreestyleSusie Atwood — Swimming, Women's 100 m BackstrokeEllie Daniel — Swimming, Women's 200 m ButterflyLynn Vidali — Swimming, Women's 200 m Individual MedleyPeter Asch, Steven Barnett, Bruce Bradley, Stanley Cole, James Ferguson, Eric Lindroth, John Parker, Gary Sheerer, James Slatton, Russell Webb, and Barry Weitzenberg — Water Polo, Men's Team CompetitionChris Taylor — Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Super HeavyweightDonald Cohan, Charles Horter, and John Marshall — Sailing, Men's Dragon Team CompetitionPeter Dean and Glen Foster — Sailing, Men's Tempest Team CompetitionIn the first modern archery competition at the Olympics, the United States entered three men and three women. They took home both of the gold medals as well as a pair of 5th-place finishes.
Men's Individual Competition:
John Williams — 2528 points (→ Gold Medal)Edwin Eliason — 2438 points (→ 5th place)Dennis McComak — 2398 points (→ 11th place)Women's Individual Competition:
Doreen Wilber — 2424 points (→ Gold Medal)Linda Myers — 2385 points (→ 5th place)Maureen Bechdolt — 2218 points (→ 28th place)Men's 100 metres
Robert TaylorRey RobinsonEddie HartMen's 200 metres
Larry BlackLarry BurtonChuck SmithMen's 400 metres
Vincent MatthewsWayne CollettJohn SmithMen's 800 metres
Dave WottleHeat — 1:47.6Semifinals — 1:48.7Final — 1:45.9 (→ Gold Medal)Ken SwensonHeat — 1:51.1Semifinals — DNF (→ did not advance)Richard WohlhuterHeat — 1:49.4 (→ did not advance)Men's 1,500 metres
James RyunHeat — 3:51.5 (→ did not advance)Dave WottleHeat — 3:40.7Semifinals — 3:41.6 (→ did not advance)Robert WheelerHeat — 3:41.3Semifinals — 3:40.4 (→ did not advance)Men's 5,000 metres
George YoungHeat — 13:41.2 (→ did not advance)Steve PrefontaineHeat — 13:32.6Finals — 13:28.25(→4th)Leonard HiltonHeat — 14:07.2 (→ did not advance)Men's 10,000 metres
Frank ShorterJeff GallowayJon AndersonHeat — 28:34.2 (→ did not advance)Men's 3,000 metres Steeplechase
Steve SavageDoug BrownMike ManleyMen's 4 × 100 m Relay
Larry Black, Robert Taylor, Gerald Tinker, and Eddie HartHeat — 38.96Semifinals — 38.54Final — 38.19 (→ Gold Medal)Men's High Jump
Dwight StonesQualifying Round — 2.15 mFinal — 2.21 m (→ Bronze Medal)Christopher DunnQualification Round — 2.12 m (→ did not advance)Ronnie JourdanQualification Round — 2.12 m (→ did not advance)Men's Pole Vault
Bob SeagrenJan JohnsonSteve SmithWomen's Javelin Throw
Sherry CalvertQualification Round — 51.38 m (→ did not advance, 15th place)Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)
Davey ArmstrongFirst Round — Defeated Arif Dorgu (TUR), 4:1Second Round — Lost to Enrique Rodríguez (ESP), 0:5Men's Light Middleweight (– 71 kg)
Reggie JonesFirst Round — ByeSecond Round — Lost to Valeri Tregubov (URS), 2:3Men's Heavyweight (+ 81 kg)
Duane BobickFirst Round — Defeated Yuri Nesterov (URS), 5:0Quarterfinals — Lost to Teófilo Stevenson (CUB), TKO-3Fifteen cyclists represented the United States in 1972.
Individual road raceJohn Howard — 61st placeJohn Allis — 63rd placeEmile Waldteufel — did not finish (→ no ranking)Robert Schneider — did not finish (→ no ranking)Team time trialRichard BallJohn HowardRon SkarinWayne StetinaSprintJeffrey SpencerRoger Young1000m time trialSteven WoznickFinal — 1:08.56 (→ 12th place)TandemJeffrey Spencer and Ralph Therrio → 13th placeIndividual pursuitJohn Vande VeldeTeam pursuitDavid ChaunerJohn Vande VeldeDavid MulicaJim OchowiczMen's 3 m Springboard
Craig Howard Lincoln - 577.29 points (→ Bronze MedalMichael Finneran - 557.34 points (→ 5th place)David Bush - 327.06 points (→ 20th place)Men's 10 m Platform
Richard Rydze - 480.75 points (→ Silver Medal)Richard Earley - 462.45 points (→ 6th place)Michael Finneran - 439.47 points (→ 9th place)Women's 3 m Springboard
Maxine Joyce King - 450.03 points (→ Gold Medal)Janet Ely - 420.99 points (→ 4th place)Cynthia Potter - 413.58 (→ 7th place)Women's 10 m Platform
Janet Ely - 352.68 points (→ 4th place)Maxine Joyce King - 346.38 points (→ 5th place)Cynthia Potter - 173.82 points (→ 21st place)19 fencers, 14 men and 5 women, represented the United States in 1972.
Men's foilJoseph FreemanCarl BorackJohn NonnaMen's team foilCarl Borack, Martin Jay Davis, Joseph Freeman, John Nonna, Tyrone SimmonsMen's épéeGeorge MasinStephen NetburnJames MelcherMen's team épéeEdward Bozek, Paul Makler, Jr., George Masin, James Melcher, Stephen NetburnMen's sabrePaul ApostolAlfonso MoralesAlex OrbanMen's team sabrePaul Apostol, Robert Dow, Alfonso Morales, Alex OrbanWomen's foilRuth WhiteHarriet KingAnn O'DonnellWomen's team foilRuth White, Natalia Clovis, Tatyana Adamovich, Harriet King, Ann O'DonnellFirst Round (Group A)Morocco 0-0 United StatesMalaysia 3-0 United StatesWest Germany 7-0 United States → did not advance, 14th place over-allTeam RosterMike Ivanow (GK)Casey BahrJohn BocwinskiHorst StemkeNeil StamArchie RoboostoffMike SeereyJohn CarenzaBuzz DemlingManuel HernandezHugo SalcedoAl TrostJoe HammSteve GayShep Messing (GK)Wally ZiajaMike FlaterMike MargulisJim ZylkerCoach: Bob GuelkerHandball
The United States, which had lost all three of its games in the first Olympic handball tournament, fared no better in the first round of the second tournament. The Americans lost to Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Japan to finish last place in the division, sending them to the thirteenth- to sixteenth-place consolation round. There, they finally got their first handball win over Spain before being defeated by Denmark.
Men's Team Competition:
United States - 14th place (1-4-0)Roster - Richard Abrahamson, Fletcher Abram Jr., Roger Baker, Dennis Berkholtz, Larry Caton, Vincent DiCalogero, Elmer Edes, Thomas Hardiman, Rudolph Matthews, Sandor Rivnyak, James Rogers, Richard Schlesinger, Kevin Serrapede, Robert Sparks, Joel Voelkert, and Harry WinklerThomas Jandris)]Men's Lightweight
Kenneth OkadaMen's Half-Middleweight
Patrick BurrisMen's Middleweight
Irwin CohenMen's Half-Heavyweight
James WooleyMen's Heavyweight
Douglas NelsonMen's Open Class
Johnny WattsThree male pentathletes represented the United States in 1972.
Men's Individual Competition:
Charles Richards — 5074 points (→ 9th place)John Fitzgerald — 5070 points (→ 11th place)Scott Taylor — 4656 points (→ 29th place)Men's Team Competition:
Richards, Fitzgerald, and Taylor — 14802 points (→ 4th place)Men's Single Sculls
James DeitzHeat — 7:57.58Repechage — 7:59.13Semi Finals — 8:21.54Final — 7:24.81 (→ 5th place)Men's Coxed Pairs
Luther Jones, Michael Staines and Aaron HermanHeat — 7:50.00Semi Finals — 8:25.40B-Final — 8:04.80 (→ 11th place)Fourteen male shooters represented the United States in 1972. Lones Wigger and John Writer won golds and Lanny Bassham and Vic Auer won silver medals.
25 m pistolJim McNallyBill McMillan50 m pistolJimmie DorseyHershel Anderson300 m rifle, three positionsLones WiggerLanny Bassham50 m rifle, three positionsJohn WriterLanny Bassham50 m rifle, proneVic AuerLones Wigger50 m running targetEdmund MoellerCharles DavisTrapJames PoindexterDonald HaldemanSkeetJack JohnsonTony RosettiMen's 100m Freestyle
Mark SpitzHeat — 52.46sSemifinals — 52.43sFinal — 51.22s (→ Gold Medal)Jerry HeidenreichHeat — 52.38sSemifinals — 52.31sFinal — 51.65s (→ Silver Medal)John MurphyHeat — 53.07sSemifinals — 53.17sFinal — 52.08s (→ 4th place)Men's 200m Freestyle
Mark SpitzHeat — 1:55.29Final — 1:52.78 (→ Gold Medal)Steve GenterHeat — 1:55.42Final — 1:53.73 (→ Silver Medal)Fred TylerHeat — 1:56.04Final — 1:54.96 (→ 5th place)Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay
Dave Fairbank, Gary Conelly, Jerry Heidenreich, and David EdgarHeat — 3:28.84David Edgar, John Murphy, Jerry Heidenreich, and Mark SpitzFinal — 3:26.42 (→ Gold Medal)Men's 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay
Gary Conelly, Tom McBreen, Michael Burton, and John KinsellaHeat — 8:03.98John Kinsella, Fred Tyler, Steve Genter, and Mark SpitzFinal — 7:35.78 (→ Gold Medal)Men's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay
Tom Bruce, Jerry Heidenreich, Mike Stamm, and Mark SpitzFinal (→ Gold Medal)Men's Team CompetitionPreliminary Round (Group A)Defeated Romania (4-3)Defeated Cuba (7-6)Defeated Canada (8-1)Defeated Mexico (7-5)Defeated Yugoslavia (5-3)Final Round (Group I)Drew with West Germany (4-4)Lost to Hungary (3-5)Drew with Soviet Union (6-6)Defeated Italy (6-5) → Bronze MedalTeam RosterPeter AschSteven BarnettBruce BradleyStanley ColeJames FergusonEric LindrothJohn ParkerGary SheererJames SlattonRussell WebbBarry WeitzenbergMen's slalom:
Wayne Grimditch - 38.5 points, silver medalRicky McCormick - 27.5 points, 9th placeMen's Figure skiing:
Ricky McCormick - 5340 points, gold medalWayne Grimditch - 4510 points, silver medalMen's Jump:
Ricky McCormick - 43.75 points, gold medalWayne Grimditch - 30.15 points, 14th placeWomen's Slalom:
Liz Allen-Shetter - 35.0 points, gold medalWomen's Figure skiing:
Liz Allen-Shetter - 1550 points, 5th placeWomen's Jump:
Liz Allen-Shetter - 25.70 points, bronze medal
